St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-01
The Turning Point in the Career of a
Red-Headed, Freckle-Faced
Juvenile.
A Man Who Claims the Credit of Having
Made Him Governor of
Dakota.
Getting Tired of Being Licked, Young
Lou Successfully Whales
Other Boys
Judge Church's Old Gray Horse With
the Spring-H Halt Leg--EarIy-
Day Experiences.

L OlA GUN, LII 1Ott Gays -ipA W
see that Judge Louis K. Church has as
good as been made governor of Dakota.
A great many other people are glad. have
no doubt. but nobody except myself and the
new governor knows that I made him gov
ernor of Dakota. [ am glad he has got
there. First, because he is a native Of Pike
county; and secondly, because-well, FL
tell you whyI am glad secondly. No one
else ever had the same reason to be glad
over the appointing of a governor for
Dakota. Judge Rodney S. Church. MEM
Der of the Pike county bar, and the owner
of much property in and about Milford. was
Lou Church's father. AS a boy LOU
that's what we call him up here-had a
very red head. and face with more freckles
on it than there are fiyspecks on a railroad
restaurant pie. l was boy at the same
iime he was, but, unfortunately, l didn't
have
RED HEAD,
and my face resolutely declined to freckle.
l would like to throw out a sly hint just
now to ambitious parents to get their boys
into the red head and freckle habit as early
as possible. Lou Church had the reputa-
ton of being a very good little boy. When
Billy Salmon, Black Lint George ROys.
Nathan Roe and myself made that Sunday
raid on John Wallace's apple orchard
across the creek, and were promptly
taken up'' by the constable next day, Lou
Church wasn't long with US. Why? His
father collared him as he was leaving the
house by the back fence to join US, and es-
corted him back to the kitchen and ad-
monisbed him with the business part of
current bush. l am quite sure that if he
had known then that was going to make
him governor of Dakota he wouldn't have
disturbed the sweet peace of that Sabbath
morning with such Comanche-like yell as
he did. and certainly wouldn't have pointed
the finger Of Scorn at me afterWard when
he learned that
OUTRAGED JUSTICE
demanded from me and the rest of the
boys, at the hands of old Squire Thrall, A
cents costs and $40 bonds to keep the peace
for year. for gathering that dozen OF two
Of sour apples. Anyhow, Lou kept his
reputation for being a good little boy, and
l slowed away my vengeance for future
reference. 1t seemed to be the bounden
duty of every boy in Milford TO lick Lou
Church as soon as school was out every
afternoon. | don't know why it was but
it was and Lou seemed to recognize the
necessity of the proceeding. and took the
hdiiJ 1iShlHS nlIilOuI p1OlCSI vi d UluI-
muir. The boys took turns in polishing
him off. | was then performing the ardu-
GUS duties of printers devil in the only
printing Office in Pike county. and had no
time to devote to this rotating punishment
of Lon Church. and. as had licked every
boy i'll town except Billy Salmon and Sam
COrtright, l considered it below me to
bother with boy with a red head and
freckleS whom anybody could whip. even
if did have it in for him. Time passed.
Among the possessions of Lou Church'S
father was team Of gray horses. These
have been and are maryelS in the animal
kingdom, but nothing was ever so fearfully
and SO wonderfully made as Judge Church's
off gray horse. He had many points that
might be dwelt upon, but his chief point
and the one that marked him as a horse
among 0,000, was
HIS SPRING-HALT.
1t was situated in his right hand leg.
People used to come miles to see chat horse
as he spring halted through the town.
When he was in motion his right-hand leg
would leave the earth with a suddenness
that was startling. 1t would fly high in
the air. and the impetus it gave the horse
as a whole would shove him ahead so
swiftly that his three other legs would have
all they could do work fast enough To keep
up With him. That horse would shove him
self ahead i'll this way hundred yards or
more before the lmpelling leg had gathered
control of its tendons sufficiently to seek
the ground again. By that time the energy
imposed by the Spring-halt leg would be eX-
hauSted, and the horse would almost come
to a standstill. Then down would come
the leg. 1t would rest for moment upon
the earth and then chug. up it would go, and
off the horse would go once more.on his three
legs like mad, only to slow down to await
The action of its motive power 1t was as
If that horse was wound up to go hundred
yards at wind. To ride behind him was
q sensation that few cared to experience BIO
eide on his back was like taking an outing
on the paddle-wheel of a ferry-boat When
Rhadamanthus-tha was this picturesque
animals name was quiescent in his stall or
elsewhere, that wonderful leg hung
POISED IN MID-AIR,
When Uncle Sol Newman. the village
blacksmith, was called upon to shoe Ria
damanthus he had to use step ladder when
he came to that leg. Regularly every after
noon, as soon as school was out and he had
taken his licking, Lou Church was wont to
solace himself with a spin about the coun-
Try on the ramificating frame uf Rhadaman-
thus. As an apprentice to the printers
trade, living with my employer, l of course
had to take care of the baby, chop the wood
and go after the cows. One winter we had
lots of cordwood but no hay. Our two COWS
could get along first rate without fire. but
they expected an occasional mouthful of
something to eat, and 50 the editor went
over the subscription book aid found that
farmer who lived SIX miles out of town was
back on his paper either two cords of wood.
eight bushels OF potatoes, or half a ton of
hay. according to how the editor was fixed.
Not being fixed as to hay, the editor told
me might take day off and walk out to
the farmers and tell him to fetch in half
ton and get receipt TO date. 1t was while
returning from this errand that | met the
future governor of Dakota. outside of Rhad-
amanthus, now high in air and flying TO-
word me as the horses three legs did their
best to keep from mixing themselves up.
and now pausing in his career and disap-
pearing from view as the spring-halt leg re-
Traed to earth TO conserve more energy.
Ny holiday had been somewhat broken up
" the persistent watchfulness of big dog
1T the farmers, and by the fact that the far
Aer had produced
RECEIPT FOR A YEAR
in advance on account Of sometime side of
beef delivered to the editor, and had told
me to tell the editor that he sold nav for
cash, anyhow. So wasn't in very good
humor, and as recognized Lou Church on
his charger l made up my mind to settle
the whole business and my own old score
by taking it out of LOUIS hide As Rhada-
manthus came to the small end of one of
his impulses, l yelled. Whoa" The
poised leg hung hesitatingly for moment
and stayed in midair. Then knew the horse
had stopped.
Get out O my way. there, or I'll gel down